Balloon



NIT-ED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

BALLOON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,012, dated April 1'7, 1853.

Application filed March 2, 1883. (No model.)

, To all whom it may concern .new and useful Improvement in Balloons, of

which the following is a specification.

Hitherto balloons have been caused to rise by means of inflation by gas, with ballast as a safeguard against coming down too quick; but this has been attended with great risk and heavy expense and very little results. Mine differs from these in having a stiff body to hold the gas and various other devices, its object being to overcome all obstacles hitherto found. Its nature is fully shown in the following description of its construction and the accompanying drawings illustrating the principal features of my invention.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the car, near the middle; and Fig. 3, an elevation of one of the propelling-wheels on a larger scale.

The balloon A A is made of thin sheet metal, preferably tin, with a body cylindrical in form in cross-section, and egg shape, or long and pointed at both ends, its form tending to make it rigid, which is also helped by its partitions and the use of braces wherever found necessary.

At B B are two openings, covered by glass to see through, the lines a a indicating the partitions dividing the lower half from each end nearly to the middle, leaving the upper part and middle as a gas-chamber for elevation, for which purpose mostof the other chambers may be used when necessary.

At 0 c 0 small chambers are partitioned off with suitable openings and pipes for their various uses.

D is a pipe extending up into the gas-chamber for supplying gas, and d a pipe with valve to allow air to enter or gas to escape.

O is an air-pump connected to the same chamber and driven by the air-engine in the car below.

The car F F is made boat-shaped and donble-ended, of any suitable light material, and is attached to the balloon A A by stiff crossbraces d d d (1. Along each side of the car are the lockers ff, with doors or lids for storage purposes, and the ends 6 0 may be covered for the same use, and a deck, E, over the lower part, forming a floor, below which the space is divided ofi' for similar purposes, while at G is a well or opening, through which an elevator operates, as shown in Fig. 2, and which well has its bottom covered by the lid H when not in use. In the car I place an air-engine at I of the desired power, suitably braced and supported, and adapted with burners for using gas as fuel to be supplied from the chamber 0 and driving the shaft J by pulley and belt, and having a crank and connection to piston in the air-pump, the shaft J having two propelling-wheels, K K, one at each side of the car, and on its middle a loose barrel, is, with clutch to connect it to the shaft when desired,

the barrel standing over the well to be used for elevating purposes, with rope lattached to elevator L, which is made with a stifi bottom and sides high enough to hold onto, so that one or more persons can stand in it. The top is connected to the rope Zfrom the barrel is. The anchors m m maybe attached to its lower part, as shown. The car F is provided with four spring-supporters, S S, to support itin an upright position when on the ground, and by theirspringtoeasetheshockofalighting. The propelling-wheels are'made with radial arms firm and stiff to the point a. The outer parts hinged thereto turn either way, their ends being connected together all round by a cord, 0, and to a winch at 19, whereby all may be set at either angle shown, or anywhere between, their operation being to grasp or hold the air when inclined with the motion of the wheel,

and thus be more effective, the upper part of the wheel being covered by the shield O. The center of the wheels at the sides may be left open for air to escape, or connected with a discharge-pipe, discharging in the rear of the car. The chamber 0 is to be filled with gas condensed for fuel, and has a pipe leading to the burners under the engine, with suitable means to regulate the flow of gas, and c is filled with oxygen for use when needed, and c is filled with air for use, heated by the exhaust of the engine, each chamber having doors or suitable openings, that they may be used for storage purposes when needed, and suitable pipes or connections for the purposes designated.

At Q Q are two troughs extending along the sides of A A, designed to catch rain-water and lead it down to the filter or reservoir g, from which it may be used for drinking or other purposes.

In operation, the engine rapidly turning the wheels K K, whose arms are set with their ends pitched in the direction they turn, propel the balloon either way, as they are set and turned by the engine, or, in other Words, the arms are set and the wheels turned, so that the exposed lower parts turn in the opposite direction to which it is desired to propel the bal icon, the whole to be provided with drag-ropes and other common appliances used in halloon work that may he deemed best adapted to accomplish the purpose above designated.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The propelling-wheels K K, having arms so constructed that their outer movable ends may be adjusted to stand at various angles with their inner radial part, in combination with a balloon car provided with drivingpower, and adapted to be moved by the action of said Wheels on the surrounding air in either direction, substantially as set forth and dc hand.

JOHN WILLIAM EMSLEY. I11 presence of-- JAS. GREENE, J. G. ARNOLD. 

